Future Updates
RTS Beta Upgrade Expected in early April. Will need to verify what has been changed since previous version. However the version will be a required update if planning to run the RTS Beta software on the latest upgrade of Florida. I believe the only changes to the actual code is improved randomization in waybills. The addition of frequencies. Minor code changes to allow more track sections in a spawn area. Future plans beyond the next upgrade will slowly add in more functionality to the program. You're invited to comment in the forums or To Do List if you have recommendations or features you would like to see added to RTS. I may open up a suggestions forum here as I do want the community involved. In the short term I'm satisfied with the program the way it is. However to make things easier for me I would like to expand the car types to more potential choices. In the long run I would like to have more user defined motive power as choices to run in spawned trains. RTS Data Upgrade This will be released with the next beta. However there are other routes on the horizon specifically what comes to mind is Selkirk. At this point I do believe I have those interested in hosting a Selkirk server (I am not planning to do so). Timing of future upgrades is very dependant on what a route looks like. Simply put there are certain requirements that I need to be in place in order to spawn trains. I need at least a full train length if not longer of track that leads out of the main world. Short stubs at the end of any switches will simply not work with RTS in it's current form. Because of my schedule it often takes quite a bit of research to get this done. So the quicker I have the data, the faster I can get it out. Otherwise people will just have to wait. For the record I DO NOT plan on buying every route that comes out down the line. I'm happy with my world in California, and happy to share the RTS umbrella with Florida, and potentially Selkirk. But at some point it is going to take more dedicated people to want to develop the data files for future routes that I may not be part of. I'm willing to offer as much assistance as I can in helping anyone get started. RTS Bridgemaster Upgrade TBA - Was looking at possibly adding pleasure craft horns when requesting the bridge. Since I'm not sure who actually benefits from this program, I'll wait and see how much demand truly exists for such an upgrade. RTS Dispatcher for Run 8 & Train Dispatcher 3.5 TBA - Current Status Planning Stage Only This is a project I announced earlier last year that was to come in play in 2015. It was originally seen as a major community incentive to make it easy and quick for the entire community to develop new dispatching screens in a rapid turnaround time. TD3.5 along with it's sister program TB3.5 allows users to create dispatching screens that can be used in Train Dispatcher. Version 3.5 specifically allows use of a handler program. What the handler code does is allow an interface between the actual dispatch screen and another piece of software. This software can be stand alone, linked with electronics and/or other software. Though I'm on good terms with the Run8 team, I don't know John well enough to see how huge of an undertaking this would be. TD3.5 simply uses a protocol that allows it to take in new commands and indications. What that means is with RTS Dispatcher (as a handler) Those with TD3.5 would then be able to have an alternative to External Dispatcher. TD 3.5 already has all the real world feel of prototype dispatching so for me it's just a matter of reading and writing data to the handler. I know how to do that, and I'm quite capable. What I don't know is what is truly involved to communicate with Run8. I also had designed an AI dispatcher. Long before talk of AI coming to Run8 the AI Dispatcher would of been an extension to RTS Dispatcher allowing automated dispatching based on data from the RTS trains files. It would eliminate the need to self dispatch, and could fill in for a live dispatcher at any time. Simply following the RTS train tags, and routing things based on timing and priority etc. Due to my work schedule I am not looking to develop at this time. I want to wait and see what is coming down the pipe as I have many other things I want done in RTS.